Becoming Odyssa: Epic Adventures on the Appalachian Trail by Jennifer Pharr Davis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you Goodreads for your monthly contests, and for this book. I was interested "Becoming Odyssa" because my husband and I have hiked parts of the Appalachian Trail, most often in Tennessee. It was fun to have firsthand knowledge of some of the areas the author hiked, most notably Unicoi Gap and Clingman's Dome. I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first half. I felt like the author became more real, or more vulnerable in her writing as the book progressed.

I always like books about strong women, and this book is no exception. For a 21 year old to hike the trail alone takes courage and endurance. "Odyssa" proved she had both. She persevered through some really hard days, made good friends, learned a lot about her faith and herself. Having hiked some mountain trails, over paths made of tree roots, boulders and stones myself, I felt I could understand her challenges to a certain degree. I am so impressed that she hiked for over 2,000 miles, in rain, snow, bugs and never gave up. She pushed her body to the limits and became strong both mentally and physically. I loved how she became more in tune with nature, saying

The trail allowed me to feel a strong sense of freedom. And it helped me to see the oppression of a busy schedule and the way we multitask in civilization. I no longer saw what was civil about filling my life with commitments if I couldn't stop to watch the sunset or listen to the birds sing." She goes on to reflect, "the problem in college, and in life, was that there were a lot of people who knew what I was, but they didn't know who I was.

Although the illustrations in the book were lovely, I wish there had been actual photos, I was curious to know what the author looked like. I did peek at her photo on the back cover about halfway through the book. She looked so joyful--I felt like that joy came out as she moved forward on her journey.

View all my reviews

The Sound of Many Waters

We were at a wedding this past weekend in a very unique venue. The bride and groom were married at Meijer Gardens in what I believe is one of the butterfly rooms. The temperature was tropical, the plants were lush, small birds occasionally flitted by, and there was a small waterfall that gurgled during the ceremony. It was difficult to hear the preacher, you had to listen really hard to hear her voice over the water. She spoke about the hard work of marriage, being each others strength, and the fact that as Jesus was at the wedding where he performed the first miracle, turning the water into wine, and turning disaster into joy, so He is here with us at this wedding. I was reminded about how much of marriage is about forgiveness and grace, and what a challenge it is to actually live what Jesus calls us to live. Sometimes, every day is a starting over. I'm always so grateful that God remembers that we are dust, and that we who are believers have passed from judgment into life.

As we left the wedding the thing that most stuck in my head was how difficult it had been to hear the message due to the waterfall. It wasn't a large waterfall at all, probably 3 to 4 feet high. In fact it was more like water falling over rocks in multiple trickles than an actual waterfall. It made me think of Revelation 1:15, where God's voice is described as the sound of many running waters. I always pictured God's voice as being a Niagara Falls type voice, but now, I'm not so sure. I had to listen really hard to hear the preacher at all. The falling water, although beautiful, became annoying and distracting to me. Perhaps "the sound of many waters" just means that when God speaks all other sounds will disappear. His voice will be so compelling that we will desire to hear Him and nothing else. Then the noise that we currently live in, and flow toward, will take it's rightful place as an annoyance and distraction from God. We will physically walk in the garden with God as our friend and companion, He will call us "Beloved" and we will be at peace.

Fall in the Smoky Mountains

In October we went back to one of my favorite places in the world - the Smoky Mountains. We always stay near the park, and enjoy visiting our favorite haunts - Cade's Cover, Roaring Forks Motor Trail, and an annual trek down main street of Gatlinburg. This year, we rented from Highland Condos, which is nestled in the mountains just above Gatlinburg. Our little deck area looked over the mountains and down on the city of Gatlinburg.

We had a sweet little lawn area to our right as we looked over the mountains. It was such fun for us to be witness to two weddings that took place there. The first wedding happened on Friday afternoon. It was so simple and sweet - the bride work black dress pants and a sheer striped blouse with a camisole underneath and a short veil. She carried a simple posy bouquet. Her two children were allowed to be children, by which I mean they were doing some chatting and wandering during the ceremony. I loved how the pastor spoke to them about how they were to obey and honor their parents, not just now, but all of their lives, and had them speak the promise. He explained to them that their parents were still children as well and that God still expected them to honor their parents too. I heard him say to the bride and groom that if they ever had any problems, no matter what the time of day or night, that they should call him and he would help. The second wedding was on Saturday, and the bride and groom wore the traditional wedding gown and tuxedo.

On Saturday as well, we planned to take a hike to the jump-off (a trail off the Appalachian Trail). We headed out for what we thought would be a leisurely day. However, partway up the mountain, smoke began puffing out of the front of the car as though it were a dragon gasping for air. This was not good. We finally pulled off by one of the many areas that they make for visitors to the mountains. Ron was not happy and took a walk down the mountain. I sat in the car and prayed. All kinds of things were going through my head - like, how do we get a tow truck to get us down the mountain! God sent a traveler though, a nice little man, somewhat portly, who was wearing black dress pants and a long sleeve black/white checked shirt. His wife was in their vehicle wearing a navy polyester pant suit. In his little ole southern twang he asked if we needed assistance - I called my husband back out of the mountain, while saying to this gentleman, please don't get yourself dirty, it looks like you are going somewhere special! But no, he said, we're just out foolin around. When he left he added this pithy remark - I never travel without a gallon of water and vise grips. So, with the help of this traveler, we added water to the reservoir, and headed back down the mountain. We were lucky to make it! As we were waiting for help at the service station, Ron started adding water - it was coming out as fast as it was coming in! As a result we had to be towed to Sevierville. This could have been a rotten day, but some of the events made it pleasurable for me. The first event, obviously was my portly gentleman. The second thing was the language of the tow truck driver - no, it wasn't bad language, but it was old fashioned language. My husband and I had been talking about sighting animals in the Cade's Cove area and he remarked that the best time was "in the light of the evening". Isn't that pretty. I just loved that. My husband said to me, "no-one talks like that anymore", and then, in a rare moment of understanding, he looked at me and said "that's why you like it, isn't it!" Yes indeed!

The next fun thing was at our service station in Sevierville. I was talking to the manager, Josh, and a delivery man came in with just a small package to deliver. I stopped talking and just looked at him--I watched him put down the package, and turn around to leave. I turned around to watch him leave. I turned back to Josh and whispered in astonishment "he looks just like Elvis!" Josh just started giggling while telling me that he is an Elvis impersonator on the side! Really! This is true! I started giggling as well and so regret that I did not react fast enough to take his picture with my phone and post it on facebook! Unfortunately Elvis is a little shorter, a little fatter and a little older! The service station people were so helpful, and called all around trying to find us a car to rent with no luck. We finally ended up walking to the Enterprise rental place, 2 miles down the road, and were fortunately able to rent a truck. Ron loved his truck, and it was fun to tour the mountains with it.
Our budget vacation didn't end up too budget what with a $120 towing charge, $470 vehicle repair and $150 truck rental, but we were not hurt, the colors were beautiful, and we were not at work, so, all in all I feel like God took care of us very well!